Eschler Asset Management LLP Invests $854,000 in HCA Healthcare, Inc. $HCA

Eschler Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 2,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $854,000. HCA Healthcare comprises about 1.5% of Eschler Asset Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $5,069,974,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,566,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,532,563,000 after purchasing an additional 76,039 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in HCA Healthcare by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,999,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,334,040,000 after purchasing an additional 40,086 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of HCA Healthcare by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,663,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,702,738,000 after buying an additional 13,565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,262,513,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on HCA shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $500.00 to $431.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $560.00 to $530.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on HCA Healthcare from $558.00 to $485.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $462.64.

HCA Healthcare Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of HCA opened at $429.19 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $397.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $443.28. The stock has a market cap of $92.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10. HCA Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $353.99 and a 12-month high of $556.52.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The company reported $7.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.56 by $0.03. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 244.79%. The business had revenue of $20.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare, Inc. will post 29.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HCA Healthcare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 16th. HCA Healthcare’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.45%.

About HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a for‑profit operator of healthcare facilities headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1968, the company owns and operates a network of hospitals and related healthcare facilities and has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to become a large provider of inpatient and outpatient services.

The company’s core activities include the operation of acute care hospitals, freestanding surgical and emergency centers, and outpatient clinics. HCA’s services encompass inpatient care, surgical services, emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, and various outpatient and ambulatory care offerings.